Although it was only early April, the weather in New Orleans was already becoming stiflingly hot.
The car stopped in front of LaLaurie Mansion.
Madame LaLaurie was a cursed noblewoman obsessed with torturing Black enslaved people. Her home had held so many instruments of torture that, in modern times, it had been bought and converted into a haunted house.
Rumor had it that she had even compiled a codex detailing how to torture Black people.
Sephirot stood before the main gate and closed his eyes.
In an instant, the barking of dogs and the sounds of passing cars all vanished from his ears.
"Thump-thump."
In the silent darkness, the sound of heartbeats gradually emerged one by one.
He traced them from nearby, through the building, and down beneath a certain tree in the backyard.
Sephirot opened his eyes.
This was another way to use his ability after his Spirit had been enhanced.
When he focused his mind and listened quietly, he could, within a small range, filter out unwanted noise and focus entirely on a specific sound.
However, this ability also had major limitations.
For instance, Sephirot could only hear sounds made by physical things.
If witches communicated through magic or telepathy, or if normal people silently recited things in their minds, he had no way of hearing them.
Sephirot led Fiona and the others around the haunted house to the backyard.
Before they could even enter the backyard, a staff member in uniform came up to meet them, reaching out to block their way. "Sorry, everyone, the haunted house isn't open for business yet. Please come back later."
Fiona stepped forward, lowered the sunglasses on her face, and looked directly at the man, her voice soft. "You won't mind this. Go back inside."
The staff member's eyes instantly lost focus. After a blank half-second, he immediately put on a warm smile. "Of course, please enjoy your visit."
With that, he walked away naturally.
Sephirot quietly watched this scene.
This Concilium, which directly altered consciousness, was impossible to guard against.
If he had encountered her before his bloodline breakthrough, back when his Spirit and magic had not yet transformed, the outcome would have been dangerous.
She might have controlled his mind before he could even react.
Zoe and Madison, following behind, exchanged a glance, shock flickering in their eyes. It was their first time seeing such a method of manipulating a living person.
Sephirot walked to the old tree and looked down at the moss-covered flagstones beneath it.
"Is it here?"
Fiona quickly stepped forward, eagerness in her eyes.
"It's right below."
Sephirot took a few steps back, moving out of the way. "Dig it up yourself."
No one saw Fiona make any particular movement.
The ground instantly shattered, and damp soil surged to both sides like a fountain.
In mere moments, a somewhat rotted wooden coffin was lifted to the surface by an invisible force.
From within the coffin, a faint, hair-raising whimper could be heard.
Then the coffin was opened.
Inside was a fat, white woman curled up.
The 19th-century dress she wore was so caked with mud that its original color was indistinguishable.
A wad of cloth was stuffed in her mouth, and her hands and feet were tightly bound with iron chains.
Her eyes stared up at Sephirot and the others in terror.
They brought the coffin back to Miss Robichaux's Academy.
This time, Fiona did not try any more tricks. She led Sephirot to a certain basement room in the academy.
She bit her fingertip and smeared blood onto the iron door.
With a low, rumbling roar, the seal on the basement was lifted.
Inside, the distinct scent of old paper rushed out to meet them.
Row after row of bookshelves were filled with parchment scrolls and various magical texts.
"You may only select from the most basic books and scrolls here, the ones on fundamental theory and elemental applications."
Fiona stood in the doorway, watching him, her tone firm.
"Give me a reason."
Sephirot raised an eyebrow.
"Those advanced black-magic texts and secret witch arts have all been bound by bloodline oaths cast by generations of Supremes."
Fiona explained with a cold expression, "So, even if you could take them, you would be unable to learn from them."
Sephirot grasped the implication and nodded.
For now, he was only looking for some basic theory to give Patty and Carrie a solid foundation.
Later, depending on the situation, he would find advanced magic books for them.
He walked toward the outer bookshelves, his gaze sweeping rapidly over the spines.
Before long, a small mountain of books had piled up on the floor.
Sephirot did not examine them too closely, simply packing up anything that piqued his interest.
It was not as if he had to study them himself.
He waved his hand, and the books on the floor vanished without a trace.
This display made Fiona's eyelid twitch, and the wariness in her eyes deepened considerably.
Sephirot paid no attention to her reaction and dusted off his hands. "Transaction complete. I won't overstay my welcome."
Fiona nodded slightly, a trace of delight flashing across her face.
Her mind was now completely consumed by that centuries-old aristocrat. She could barely contain her eagerness to go upstairs, pry open her mouth, and extract the secret of immortality.
Sephirot stepped out of the villa's main door and glanced back at the building.
He pulled out the address Papa Midnite had provided from his coat.
There were only two paths to ensure Zoe steadily rose to become the Supreme Witch.
The first was to wait for her to develop naturally.
Given enough time, the exceptionally gifted Zoe would inevitably complete her transformation.
But that process was far too slow. He could not waste time here playing mentor.
And if he was not careful, she would be killed by Fiona, who was unwilling to relinquish her power.
Too troublesome.
That left only the other path.
Make Zoe develop rapidly.
Sephirot rubbed his chin. He only had some speculations and ideas about this matter for now.
For the specifics, he still needed to have a chat with the Voodoo Queen.
As Fiona's enemy, no one understood witches better than her.
At the same time, he needed her to perform another divination to verify whether Fiona's earlier divination results were true.
Ding-a-ling.
The copper bell chimed.
Sephirot pushed open the door to the barbershop.
The interior was small. Near the entrance were a few styling stations, and further inside stood rows of mannequin heads.
A woman in the middle of cutting a customer's hair seemed to sense something, and the movement of her hands paused slightly.
She wore a fiercely wild leopard-print vest, her dreadlocks swaying gently.
Marie Laveau raised her head and looked at Sephirot, asking, "What do you want?"
Sephirot nodded with a smile. "I've come to make a deal with you."
Marie Laveau did not respond immediately. Instead, she gestured for him to take a seat and wait.
It was not until she had finished her work that she led Sephirot into the inner room behind the barbershop.
"Who sent you?"
Marie Laveau sat cross-legged on the floor opposite Sephirot.
She observed the white-haired young man before her.
In the past, almost all her visitors had been Black.
This was the first time she had seen a Chinese person.
Sephirot did not answer her question.
When Papa Midnite had mentioned this woman's name, the expression on his face had looked as if he had swallowed something foul.
He had no desire to get involved in whatever conflict lay between those two.
"I sought you out to request a divination on a matter."
Sephirot then briefly recounted the incident of Patty being attacked once more.
Marie Laveau looked at him coldly. "I can do the divination for you, but what can you offer me in return?"
"Some information."
Sephirot smiled faintly. "Are you familiar with Madame LaLaurie?"
At the sound of that name, Marie Laveau's face instantly darkened.
"Why are you bringing her up? You haven't come to plead for mercy, have you?"
Centuries ago, it was this vicious woman who had murdered her husband.
In retaliation, she had placed a curse on LaLaurie and hanged her entire family with her own hands.
"She's been dug up from the ground."
(Translated by yourtl.app)